Heartwarmers: To Do What's Important
by Alkuna
Summary: What happens when the poorest Neopian shows you what is the most important to him


Heartwarmers: To Do What's Important  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets.com DUH! :P  
  
Author's Note: Here's the second of the Heartwarmers collection. I hope you enjoy it. :)  
  
Adoption Center, Dr_Death's view-  
  
At first, I had enjoyed being the pound's manager; taking in the unwanted and caring for them until they get a new home. But as time went by, it began to get me down. It wasn't the Neopets... it was the owners.  
  
It was simple and fairly cheap to abandon pets. I could even collect information about the pets who were being given up. Were they good with other pets? Were they allergic to any foods? Knowing this made it easier to find them a home.  
  
Shockingly, the richest owners in the world chose not to pay the Neopoints, and give their pet the chance needed to find another home. These pets were left to root in the garbage filled alleys and trash cans for rotten food to eat, just to save a few Neopoints. That's where Jeffy came in.  
  
Jeffy was the youngest brother in his family. He was only ten human years old and knew next to nothing about Neopia. That never stopped him from wandering around near the pound. I, Dr_Death, (called Silver by the boy because of my white hair) knew him well and Jeffy always ran to me whenever there was an abandoned pet around that needed to be taken in. Jeffy appointed himself my unpaid assistant for abandoned pets.  
  
"Silver!" Jeffy would shout, running into the pound, "There's a lil' Aisha kitty walking around in the street! Come quick!"  
  
Or.  
  
"Silver! A Scorchio has been abandoned without the Neopoints!"  
  
Still another day, he found a box full of Acara infants behind a store and made it his job to find homes for them all; down to the last little puff of fur.  
  
Then one day Jeffy wasn't seen for several days. His family was frantic. Jeffy hadn't shown up with alerts about lost pets. Nor had the shopkeepers nearby been asked about any wandering pets that might have been seen. Finally one day I was walking through a field in search of a pet rumored to have been abandoned there. And there, in a shelter of wood slats, was Jeffy, a ratty blanket and some cheap food.  
  
"Jeffy!" I exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing out here! Your family is worried about you! You need to go home."  
  
"I know Silver...but I couldn't find anyone to take in Waggy."  
  
Jeffy moved aside and there behind him was a gangly red gelert puppy with long, long ears that he hadn't yet grown into. The puppy looked up at me with two soft brown eyes and wagged his long tail cheerfully, his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth in a way that was completely adorable.  
  
"Nobody would take him in because he's got numbers after his name. And my Mom says I'm not old enough to take care of him." Jeffy explained.  
  
It was true. No one under the age of 13 had many privileges and Jeffy was just far too young for such a pet, even one as loyal as a gelert.  
  
He turned and looked deep into the puppy's eyes for a moment, then tenderly picked him up and handed him to me with watery eyes.  
  
"Here," he said softly, pushing a handful of grubby, nicked Neopoints that had obviously been scrounged out of the dirt and the streets. It was all the money Jeffy had ever had and it was dropped freely into my hand.  
  
I stared at the money with my jaw hanging open. Then I grabbed Jeffy's arm, "Jeffy, don't worry about the fee for abandoning him! I'll take him without it!"  
  
But Jeffy shook his head and put his hands behind his back so that I couldn't give the money back. "No Silver," he said, "You told me that you gotta pay Neopoints to get a good home, remember? A home with lots of bouncy balls and sisters and brothers to play with would be good for him."  
  
Then giving the Gelert puppy a tight hug, he turned and began making his way through the streets to his home and frantic family.  
  
I bit my lip and slowly carried the sweet puppy back to the pound, a tear or two trailing down my cheek.  
  
The Gelert puppy was adopted almost immediately by one of the volunteers at the pound.  
  
A week later I heard that Jeffy had been scolded firmly by his family, and they all moved to Tyrannia three days after his coming home.  
  
At first I could only stare at the Neopoints the little boy had given to me. Eventually, I left the Neopoints at the Money tree and shook my head, returning to my desk. Every once in a while though, I had to stop and blink so that I could see my paper again. The poorest Neopian in the world had given up everything he had to make sure his pet got a home. I could feel my heart lifting again after being low for so long.  
  
But you know... every once in a while a rumor will float down to Neopia Central about a little boy who helps Pteris, Grarrls, Chombies and Tonus find homes. And I will break out into a rare warm smile, then wipe my eyes and grumble about dust. 


End file.
